The Life and Times of Elizabeth Cadwell
by uhmpalindrome
Summary: A story of a remarkable Muggleborn named Elizabeth Cadwell as she enters the Wizarding World. Watch as she meets Lily, Severus, and the Marauders, all the while slowly changing their lives and viewpoints while at Hogwarts. "She's...different," said Sirius. Slight Voldemort, but isn't major. Mostly fluff and lighthearted coming-of-age. AU, slight OOC, OC, no major character deaths.


**A/N: **Hello, everyone, this is me, a self-proclaimed writer, trying out a new story. I hope it's interesting, and please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, sadly. Everything is J.K. Rowling's-I'm just playing a bit with her brainchildren.

Elizabeth Cadwell was a young, sensible girl of eleven when an _owl _of all things flew in her family's living room window on the morning of her birthday. At first, she thought it was a prank her older brother had pulled-she loved him very much, but _really_, sometimes he acted like a five-year-old instead of the fifteen-year-old he really was.

"Henry," she said with narrowed eyes, "What is _this_?"

She turned to her brother, who met her gaze with a bewildered expression. "What, you think I did this? No-I wouldn't try to ruin your birthday, Lizzy." It was true. Henry Cadwell could be many things, but a bully was not one of them-and certainly not the bully of Elizabeth Cadwell, whom he doted on. Elizabeth believed him after seeing Henry's expression, and so headed towards the kitchen, where her parents were preparing the morning meal.

"Mum, Dad," Elizabeth called. "I _really _think you should see this-there's an _owl _in the _living room._"

"Really, dear?" replied Emma Cadwell, not really listening. "That's lovely, isn't it, Eric?"

"Mm, yes, lovel-hold on, an owl, Lizzy? Are you quite sure?" Eric Cadwell, on the other hand, had paid a little more attention.

"_Yes_," Elizabeth said with some exasperation. "Please listen when I talk, daddy." She ushered her now fully listening parents to the living room, where the tawny owl still stood on top of the television. She then noticed that the owl-she decided to call it Phillip from now on-had an envelope in its beak. "See? An owl."

"Great gods!" her father yelped. "A bloody owl in our living room!"

"_Watch _your language, please, Eric," said her mother with a reproachful glare. "The creature's carrying a letter, do you see? Go and get it."

"What, me? Why should I? Make Henry get it," complained the husband.

"**Eric**…..," Emma warned.

"Alright, alright, keep your hat on, woman," he muttered as he approached the owl-no, Phillip. "C'mon, you, let's get that letter your carrying, shall we, hmm?" Phillip obediently relinquished his burden with a soft hoot. "There we go-not so scary, are you? Let's see what we have here. Oh-Lizzy, this is addressed to you, dear."

"What, really?" Elizabeth asked with great interest. She had never received a real letter before, and she felt very grown-up to be receiving one.

"Yes, here we go: it's addressed to a Ms. Elizabeth Cadwell, the Second Bedroom with the Large Window, London. Want to open it, dear?"

"Yes, please." Elizabeth accepted the letter and stared at the address. Yes, there it was, with her name on it. Turning it to the back, she noticed it was sealed with wax-complete with a seal of an "H" surrounded by a snake, an eagle, a badger, and a lion. _How interesting_, she thought. _Whoever the sender is must be very important. _She opened the letter with some trepidation. With wide eyes, she read the contents: the sender was a Professor Minerva McGonagall from a school called Hogwarts, and she was apparently a _witch._ There was only one other piece of paper with a list of almost foreign sounding materials needed for this Hogwarts place-according to the letter, Professor McGonagall herself was planning on dropping by to explain things that very same day around two in the afternoon. Wordlessly, Elizabeth passed on the letter to her mother.

"Mum," she whispered, "it says that I'm a witch."

"What?" Henry butted in, looking angry. "Who's calling my sister a witch? Really!"

"No, not that kind of witch, dear," replied Emma distractedly. "The letter says that our Elizabeth has magic, and that she's been accepted into a magical school. Apparently, a Professor McGonagall will be here later on today."

"You're joking, mum!"

"I'm afraid not."

"You don't believe that this may be a prank, dear?" asked her husband. "I mean, magic, of all things?"

"Of course this is unbelievable, but I mean…" she trailed off.

"What is it?"

"I mean, don't you remember all the times Elizabeth seemed to be able to do things as a child that we couldn't explain, Eric?"

"Well, I mean, there was that incident with the banana, and that one with the snake, but those were accidents, Emma!" Eric insisted. "Weren't….weren't they?" he trailed off, no longer looking so sure of himself.

Henry's eyes were huge. "What accidents? How come I've never heard about these?"

"Yes," interjected Elizabeth. "I haven't heard about these either."

Emma waved her hand. "They happened when you were two, Elizabeth, and you six, Henry. I wouldn't expect you to remember. It's just that once, there were literally dozens of bananas in Elizabeth's nursery room, and we even found a snake once outside her bedroom door once. Your father and I just thought it was the universe playing tricks on us for a while and laughed it off."

"You found a _snake _outside my bedroom door and laughed it off? Of course you did," sighed Elizabeth. Her parents _were _awfully absentminded sometimes. "Anyway, I don't necessarily think the incidents make me a _witch_, but I guess we're just going to wait for the professor to show up?"

"Hmm, yes, alright. I guess there's no harm," said her father. "Just in case, though, Henry, why don't you be prepared to run out the door and call for help in the event that this woman is slightly deranged?"

Henry looked disbelieving. "We're just going to allow a stranger saying that Lizzy has _magic_ into our home with no security measures except me running out the back door?"

"Yes," his mother replied with a frown. "I think it's a fine plan. What's wrong with it?"

Henry just sighed. "Nothing at all, mum. Let's see what happens."

….

Professor McGonagall turned out to be a strict, austere looking woman, but was very warm towards Elizabeth and her family all the same. She explained all the basics of the Wizarding World, mentioning the Wizarding Ministry and the magic that would be taught at Hogwarts. She did keep things a bit vague, however, because, as she explained, they were a bit short on time. According to the professor, Hogwarts was taught by a man named Albus Dumbledore-Elizabeth deduced from the respectful way Professor McGonagall spoke about him that he was a venerable man-and students were divided up into four houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. She ended her brief lecture by asking, "Now, will I look forward to seeing Miss Cadwell at the beginning of term?"

"Well, I don't know," said Emma hesitantly. "It's rather far away, and we'd all miss her so much."

"Now, now, Emma," murmured Eric. "I think we should leave the choice to Lizzy."

"I would like to attend Hogwarts very much!" Elizabeth said. "Imagine! I'd be able to do _magic_!" She turned to Professor McGonagall. "Would you be willing to show us just a tiny bit, professor, pleeease?"

"Oh yes," jumped in Henry. "I'd like to see some too!"

"We all would," completed Eric.

Professor McGonagall had just the slightest of smirks on her face. "Of course, dear. Now, what would be pleasing to you ladies and gentlemen? Hmm, let's see, how about this?" She brandished a gleaming length of wood from her sleeve-_a wand, _Elizabeth thought-and said, "_Orchideous_!" A bouquet of vibrant roses and lilies sprouted out from the end of her wand, which she presented to Elizabeth with a flourish. The rest of the Cadwells clapped with enthusiasm. The professor, however, wasn't done. "I do believe, however, that normal 'magicians' also seem to be able to produce bouquets, so permit me to show you one more act of magic. Watch carefully, Miss Cadwell. This is called an Animagus Transfiguration." And with that, she proceeded to turn into a tabby cat!

Elizabeth was shocked and delighted. "Could _I _do that too, professor?" she asked the cat.

"I'm afraid I would have to see your Transfiguration skills first, Miss Cadwell," replied the professor as she changed back. "It is a very tricky and dangerous piece of magic, something you should not try until you are remarkably proficient in magic."

Elizabeth was still determined. "I _will _learn that someday," she informed McGonagall.

"Perhaps you will," she replied. She continued, "So I assume you will be joining the rest of your class at Hogwarts, Miss Cadwell?"

"I am," said she.

"Very well, then," said the witch. "Let us all proceed to Diagon Alley straight away. That is where you will be purchasing all your items, of course. May I?" and motioned to the fireplace.

"Er-yes, please, go on ahead," said Eric uncertainly. "May I ask what you're going to do to the fireplace?"

"We will be traveling by Floo Powder, which is the quickest way to the Alley," the lady replied. She explained the basics of floo travel. Afterwards, the family wasted no time in stepping into the rather large fireplace.


End file.
